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Articles 1 - 30 of 32
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Video Game Sociology And Public Relations/Marketing Efforts: An Analysis And Application Of Sociological Elements And Efficacy Of Public Release In The Bioshock Series, Bethany Johnson
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
Video games are a major, viable source of entertainment for all age groups and offer practical application to everyday life; however, they are mostly viewed in terms of sales and viral popularity. They often go unanalyzed in terms of narrative, real-life implications, reach, and impact. In order to understand different audiences and achieve greater public reach, the game must be thought about in terms of its sociological meaning, public relations and marketing messages, and the market segmentation of domestic versus international consumers. Using one of the more unique games to come out of the last two decades as an example, …
Public Perceptions Of Angela Merkel And Other Female Politicians In Germany: A Mixed Survey Approach, Erin Woggon
Public Perceptions Of Angela Merkel And Other Female Politicians In Germany: A Mixed Survey Approach, Erin Woggon
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
This thesis seeks to understand public perceptions of women politicians in Germany, specifically Chancellor Angela Merkel, and evaluates these perceptions based on gender, region, and representation of CDU/CSU female legislators in the Bundestag. While literature suggests that there are benefits of greater female representation in legislatures, there is a lack of research regarding how this representation impacts perceptions held by the citizens these women represent. Important to the study is also the difference in perceptions according to gender and the former East/West divide in order to understand the gender gap in Germany and the extent of the social impact left …
Impact Of Remembering Vs. Knowing On Strength Of Belief In Neuromyths, Kailee Jackola
Impact Of Remembering Vs. Knowing On Strength Of Belief In Neuromyths, Kailee Jackola
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
As technology advances, misinformation can be spread easier than ever before. Many things the general public believe to be true are either completely false or contradict research findings. However, many people are not willing to give up their belief in false information, even if there is evidence to refute it. Neuromyths are a particular type of widespread misinformation involving incorrect beliefs about brain function (e.g., people can be either left-or right brained). Understanding the origins of neuromyths is important, because it may relate to the strength of individuals’ belief in these myths. Therefore, it is important to determine whether remembering …
When Youth Run For Office, P. Francis Wilson
When Youth Run For Office, P. Francis Wilson
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
The purpose of this work is threefold: to define the term ‘youth candidate’, to create a public data archive of youth candidates around the U.S., and to reveal what role age plays on the campaign trail for younger candidates. The first study shows the increase in young people running for office in the U.S.. The second study tells of age discrimination towards younger candidates on the campaign trail. Also within this document is an archive and photo album of youth candidates and their campaigns. The results of this research tell a data and experience-driven story of the quickly changing and …
Natural Mummies Of Northern Europe: An Exploration Into The Biocultural Importance Of Bog Bodies, Reilly Boone
Natural Mummies Of Northern Europe: An Exploration Into The Biocultural Importance Of Bog Bodies, Reilly Boone
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
For several centuries, peat harvesters in Northern Europe have been finding the mummified remains of late Bronze Age (1100 – 800 B.C.E.) and Iron Age (800 B.C.E.- 400 C.E.) people. Within the last century, scientists have begun to study these remains in depth. These bodies pique much curiosity due to the apparent violence associated with their deaths. Because of this, these remains have proven to be significant parts of the societies in which they died and that in which they were discovered. It is inferred from archaeological evidence that these individuals may have held religious importance in Bronze-Iron Age societies. …
Investigating The Change In The Out-Of-Pocket Cost Of Insulin Over Time, Jared Long
Investigating The Change In The Out-Of-Pocket Cost Of Insulin Over Time, Jared Long
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
Insulin is often cited as a classic near perfectly inelastic good; for those living with Type-1 diabetes, antihyperglycemic medicines are the only thing standing between them and possible death, and they must be willing to pay for the medication regardless of the price. When researchers at the University of Toronto released the patent for insulin in 1922, they asked for only $1 so that the medication would be available to as many people as possible; however, as insulin analogs and new biosimilar substitutes have been invented, the price of medications has increased substantially. While the rising cost of insulin has …
Debt Accumulation And Economic Growth In Emerging Market Economies: Is Debt Promoting Or Hindering Growth?, Kelly Stone
Debt Accumulation And Economic Growth In Emerging Market Economies: Is Debt Promoting Or Hindering Growth?, Kelly Stone
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently warned of the growing accumulation of debt in emerging market economies (EMEs) and the potential for debt crises, a clear warning for investors (Allen, 2018). While the IMF suggests investors may be better served elsewhere, EMEs hold an integral role in the international market as consumers, producers, and entrepreneurs. Despite regular research on advanced economies, middle income countries like EMEs are often ignored. As EMEs grapple with their inability to overcome the current increase in the value of the US Dollar, this study works to understand how debt impacts economic growth and other governance …
The Effect Of Birth Order On Behavior On Behavior And Academic Performance, Maria Long
The Effect Of Birth Order On Behavior On Behavior And Academic Performance, Maria Long
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
This paper studies the effect of birth order on a child’s math and reading comprehension aptitudes and likelihood of behavior problems. Numerous studies have been performed on this topic and the conclusions have varied. In this paper, I control for gender, race, number of siblings, mother’s age at birth, mother’s marital status at birth of child, and how often children argue with their parents about homework. I find evidence to suggest that first-born children will have significantly higher academic performance outcomes, last-born children will have significantly lower behavior issues, and the environment in which a child is raised will have …
Factors That Promote Women Representation In State Legislatures, Kara Lowry
Factors That Promote Women Representation In State Legislatures, Kara Lowry
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
As more and more women run for elected offices, the need for information surrounding women in politics is growing. Scholars have extensively researched the factors that deter women from running for state legislature, but few have studied factors of the states and their populations that could potentially be promoting more female representation in state legislature. This research will compare the relationship between the state’s geographical location, the education level of the population, and the religiosity of the population to the percentage of women serving in the state legislature as of 2018. Additionally, this study will examine how Donald Trump’s presidency …
Mental Health Stigma In College Students By Academic Major, Kristen Miller
Mental Health Stigma In College Students By Academic Major, Kristen Miller
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
Stigma is best defined as the disapproval and shame felt by people who display characteristics not widely accepted in society. Although mental illness has become more prevalent in society through advocacy and awareness campaigns, it fails to be accepted and often individuals may feel shame that prevents them from seeking help (Dyrbye, Eacker, Durning, Brazeau, Moutier, Massie, S., et al, 2015; Givens & Tjia, 2002). Physicians in particular have been shown to have decreased help-seeking behaviors for psychological issues due to fear of professional repercussions (Dyrbye et al., 2015). Physicians also show increased levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and elevated …
The Influence Of Mental Illness On The Perception Of Guilt, Sydney Garrison
The Influence Of Mental Illness On The Perception Of Guilt, Sydney Garrison
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
The purpose of this study was to investigate how the presence of a mental disorder in a person accused of a crime affects an individual’s perception of the accused person’s guilt. Participants were randomly assigned a vignette used in a study by Skeem & Goulding (2001), describing a crime that has been committed; one condition included the presence of an unnamed mental illness and the other condition did not. Immediately after reading the vignette participants completed a survey that included a question regarding the perceived guilt of the person accused of the crime. The answers to this question were compared …
Perception: Exploring Cognition And Consciousness Through Visual Art, Summer Shepherd
Perception: Exploring Cognition And Consciousness Through Visual Art, Summer Shepherd
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
The concept of consciousness has perplexed humankind for thousands of years. Countless scientists, philosophers, and artists have devoted their lifetimes to solving humanity’s questions about our relationship with the world we live within. The creative arts, such as music, theater, and visual art, can facilitate critical thinking and meaningful interpersonal communication. This paper explores the visual artwork of the author, Sunny Shepherd, through examination of historical and contemporary artistic influences on the work, as well as the psychological and philosophical concepts that fuel it. Months of research, planning, and creating went into the manifestation of the final exhibition, Metamorphosis , …
The Antagonist Of The Sino-Children, Danielle Earley
The Antagonist Of The Sino-Children, Danielle Earley
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
My research declares that the One-Child Policy has had a huge impact on foreign adoption and causes Chinese adoptees to have similar patterns of behavior, such as unique identity issues despite different life experiences. In addition, I researched effective coping mechanisms for adoptees and hypothesized that conversing and openness with adoption is beneficial. This topic is crucial for aiding scientific understanding of psychological processes in adopted individuals as well as aid others and adoptees themselves on how to effectively cope with the unique adoption experience. I personally deem this topic important not only because I was born in China, but …
Sustainable Messaging In Film: A Survey Of A College Community, Chelsea Faught
Sustainable Messaging In Film: A Survey Of A College Community, Chelsea Faught
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
The concept of sustainability encompasses environmental, social, and economic issues. A sustainable approach encourages a balanced earth in both well-being and resource conservation for the sake of future generations. Unfortunately, awareness of and participation in various dimension of sustainability are currently inadequate given the current projections of the negative impact of climate change to humanity. Therefore, this project was designed to research if there was a relationship between viewing sustainably themed films and becoming more sustainably-conscious as a way to explore a potential avenue for mental and behavioral change. Furthermore, this project examines audience perception of sustainable messaging and content …
The Effect Of Knowledge On Attitudes Towards The Us Supreme Court, Harlee Havens
The Effect Of Knowledge On Attitudes Towards The Us Supreme Court, Harlee Havens
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
Knowledge regarding the judicial branch of the federal government, including the Supreme Court, is lacking in comparison to the two other branches. The Supreme Court generally receives better approval ratings than the executive and legislative branches of government. It is this relationship that I examine through a survey that measures knowledge and feelings of all three branches of government to assess if having more knowledge of the judicial branch has an impact on one’s feelings towards it. By measuring the knowledge of my respondents through a questionnaire that asked about information regarding, and functions of the US Supreme Court, I …
Self-Regulation: A Cross-Sectional Study Of Preschool-Age Children, Sam J. Fugate
Self-Regulation: A Cross-Sectional Study Of Preschool-Age Children, Sam J. Fugate
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
Self-regulation predicts school readiness and consists of “cool” and “hot” self regulation. “Cool” self-regulation is characterized by inhibition of a dominant response, working memory, and set shifting. “Hot” self-regulation involves inhibition, shifting attention, and regulation of emotion in arousing situations. In this study, self-regulation was measured in 80 preschool-age children (3-5 years). Two “cool” tasks (Pencil Tap and Day/Night) were coded for percent correct, and the other two “cool” tasks (Dimensional Change Card Sort and Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders) were coded for total score. The “hot” task (Snack Delay) was coded for compliance to task demands (no touching of snack/materials until timer beeped …
Opioid Overdose And Unemployment In The Uk, Hayden Grace
Opioid Overdose And Unemployment In The Uk, Hayden Grace
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
Opioid overdose in the United Kingdom has risen drastically over the last few years along with the rise in the use of zero-hours contracts. Zero-hours contracts are contracts for employment that guarantee no work but can anchor a person to a job that doesn’t pay above minimum wage when they do not receive work. Since opioid use is often associated with poorer economic conditions in the United States, this paper attempts to measure any correlation between poverty and opioid use in the UK. Using zero-hours contracts as a proxy for underemployment we use several regression models to determine the predictability …
The Importance Of Clothing In 1960s Protest Movements, Nicole Ziege
The Importance Of Clothing In 1960s Protest Movements, Nicole Ziege
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
The 1960s became one of the most tumultuous decades in American history because the decade experienced ideological polarization between the younger and older generations, and there was a mass influx of protests by many from the country’s younger generation in support of political and social changes for the country. Protest movements, including the anti-Vietnam War movement, the women’s liberation movement and the Civil Rights movement, became significant to the political and ideological landscape of the 1960s. Clothing became a central visual tactic to create cohesion between the protesters of these movements in order to make their protests more effective and …
Rapid Assessment Of Problem Solving For Kids (Raps-K), Hannah Perdew
Rapid Assessment Of Problem Solving For Kids (Raps-K), Hannah Perdew
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
The Rapid Assessment of Problem Solving (RAPS) is a clinical assessment of verbal problem solving skills created by Dr. Robert Marshall and colleagues (Marshall, 2003). The assessment, originally developed for adults, is based on the well-known twenty questions game. The clinician administering the assessment chooses a target picture and the participant asks yes or no questions to eliminate incorrect answers and, eventually, identify the target picture. Question asking efficiency, indicated by the number of choices eliminated, is considered to reflect levels of cognitive functioning, specifically problem solving. Recently, the RAPS has been utilized with typically developing children and children with …
Communication Goals Of American Universities: A Social Media Content Analysis, Travis Ryan
Communication Goals Of American Universities: A Social Media Content Analysis, Travis Ryan
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
Social media is a key communication tool for American universities. This research project is an exploratory look at how universities communicate with stakeholders via social media. In particular, the primary purpose is to explore potential emphasis on academic programs relative to the promotion of athletics as a marketing tool to bolster identity and recruit students. 3000 tweets were collected from 130 NCAA Division 1 American universities. In total, roughly 500,000 tweets have been scraped and classified using an automated script to assess tweet content. Particular emphasis was given to the concept of university rebranding as a broader marketing strategy for …
The Relationship Between Non-Suicidal Self-Injury, Suicide-Attempts And Resilience, Life Satisfaction, And Subjective Happiness In Minority Groups, Anna Siewers
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
Non-suicidal self-injury and suicide ideation are important issues and known predictors of suicide attempts for any demographic, but specifically for minority groups who are significantly understudied and underreported in comparison to their White and Heterosexual counterparts. It has been found that among adolescents and college students, minority students are disproportionately impacted and are at greater risk for suicidal ideation and behavior. The goal of the present study was to examine the role of both ethnic and sexual minority experience in NSSI and suicide attempts, as well as potential protective factors. A sample of 2,280 undergraduate students completed a survey assessing …
The Picnic: Fancy Farm's Homecoming, Elijah Smith
The Picnic: Fancy Farm's Homecoming, Elijah Smith
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
The bond of community and the sense of a home are essential to the essence of the human soul. In my documnentary, “The Picnic: Fancy Farm’s Homecoming,” I look to capure that feeling in the community of Fancy Farm, Ky during their biggest fundraising event of the year, the Fancy Farm Picnic. However, there is more to just fundraising when it comes to the Fancy Farm Picnic, there’s also politics, BBQ, and a true feeling of homecoming that is unique to the community of Fancy Farm. The following thesis will double as a production book which is common for the …
Why Do You Want To Teach? Interpreting Stem Pre-Service Teachers' Motivations Through A Semantic Lens, Delaney Holt
Why Do You Want To Teach? Interpreting Stem Pre-Service Teachers' Motivations Through A Semantic Lens, Delaney Holt
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
This qualitative study sought to examine the relationship between the motivational profiles that pushed undergraduate STEM pre-service teachers (N = 181) to enter the teaching profession and the word choice used to articulate those motivations. Through the application of a semantically-analytical lens, this study aimed to uncover preliminary patterns that could predict STEM pre-service teachers’ overall commitment levels to the completion of the STEM education major and overall certification. Written responses to the question “Why did you want to become a teacher?” were gathered from a longitudinal survey administered from spring 2011 to fall 2016 as part of the Knowing …
Motivated To Learn: Motivational Differences In High School And University-Level Foreign Language Classroom Experiences, Roy Williams Iv
Motivated To Learn: Motivational Differences In High School And University-Level Foreign Language Classroom Experiences, Roy Williams Iv
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
Student motivation in the context of foreign language learning is a complex topic that influences many areas of language study. Dornyei’s L2 Motivational Self Model and the concept of future self guides give some insight into the underlying motivational orientations when used to analyze self-reported survey data regarding language learning and its perceived benefits (Dornyei & Ushioda, 2009, p. 456). This analysis brings to light some of the major differences between these two contexts, challenges the idea that they are identical or equivalent in learning outcomes, and suggests some practical application to the foreign language classroom at Western Kentucky University.
Sound And Emotion: The Use Of Music In The Cinematic Experience, Sarah Schulte
Sound And Emotion: The Use Of Music In The Cinematic Experience, Sarah Schulte
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
To portray the radical importance of music in stimulating emotion within cinema, to appeal to an audience’s selective attention to sounds, and to detail the process of creating an original film score, I have scored WKU student Tori Mills’ short film Come Up for Air. Film music is traditionally defined as any music that accompanies a film, though today it more specifically refers to music intended to advance the film’s narrative. Music has played an increasingly important role in transmitting emotion to film audiences, feeding the psychological connection between spectator and on-screen action. To achieve this emotional connection, a film …
Effects Of Terrorism On The U.S. Stock Market: Evidence From High Frequency Data, Kyla Scanlon
Effects Of Terrorism On The U.S. Stock Market: Evidence From High Frequency Data, Kyla Scanlon
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
This paper investigates the effects that terrorist attacks and mass shootings had on the U.S. stock market, using high frequency intraday data to identify stock price and variability reactions in the hours after the attack. The impact that terrorist attacks had on price level variability was examined using the generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) model. The market reaction to domestic versus foreign attacks was examined to measure a potential for contagion across financial markets. The potential for flight-to-safety/quality and capital reallocation in response to terrorist attacks were measured using ordinary least squares (OLS) model, measuring the respective betas of small …
Taking Action: A Case Study Analyzing The Deficiencies And Potential Opportunities For Improvement In The Severe Weather Warning System, Carson Meredith
Taking Action: A Case Study Analyzing The Deficiencies And Potential Opportunities For Improvement In The Severe Weather Warning System, Carson Meredith
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
The United States is one of the most prone areas in the world to experience severe weather. A warning system operated by the National Weather Service alerts the public of the dangers of severe weather. The purpose of this project is to analyze the effectiveness of the National Weather Service warning system across Kentucky and Tennessee. A case study is presented analyzing six severe weather events in areas warned by the National Weather Service offices in Louisville, Kentucky and Nashville, Tennessee in 2018. Factors reviewed include effectiveness in issuing timely warnings, verification (i.e., whether or not severe weather actually occurred), …
Racial Hierarchies In Latin America That Affected My Black Experience, Tiye Gardner
Racial Hierarchies In Latin America That Affected My Black Experience, Tiye Gardner
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
I was able to study abroad three times, as well as study away. I went abroad to Buenos Aires, Argentina (fall 2016 for three months); Oaxaca, Mexico (fall 2017 for three months); New York City, New York (spring 2018 for four months); and Heredia, Costa Rica (winter 2019 for three weeks). These opportunities have changed my life tremendously. But no one told me what all going abroad entailed. When a person goes abroad, they do not have a bubble around them that shields them from the way that country operates. Students all over the world learn about Christopher Columbus but …
Exploring The Community Integration And Involvement Of Immigrant Children In The Us Through Jump Rope Camps, Murray Huber
Exploring The Community Integration And Involvement Of Immigrant Children In The Us Through Jump Rope Camps, Murray Huber
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
The world is currently facing an unprecedented refugee crisis, which calls for the creation of programs designed to assist in the adjustment of refugee/immigration popuations to their host communities (“Refugees,” 2016). In the past, sports programs have often been used to ease the transition of refugee/immigrant youth to life in a new place, aiming to provide health benefits, increase language acquisition, improve social skills and connections, assist with enculturalziation, and create a space for fun (Block & Gibbs, 2017, p. 91; Youri, 2018). The goal of this project was to create a summer jump rope camp and continued program to …
From The Hill To The World: Increasing Diversity Abroad Through Intentional Outreach, Ar'meishia Burrow
From The Hill To The World: Increasing Diversity Abroad Through Intentional Outreach, Ar'meishia Burrow
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
This summer I had the honor of studying abroad in Spain for four weeks where I studied Spanish language and culture. As an African American female I experienced study abroad both as a scholar and as a minority. Through research and personal experience I have developed a thesis that aims to increase diversity and inclusion abroad, increasing representation of ethnic/minority U.S. students in education abroad. By sharing my journey through outreach I will educate students of color about financial opportunities to study abroad, in addition to resources regarding the minority experience abroad. This outreach series will help minority students better …